Fillon's immigration policies may help him 'inch back' into election run-off, expert says

FRANCOIS Fillon’s hard-line immigration stance could help him catch up to the presidential frontrunners with just days to go before the first round of French election voting, a French political commentator has claimed.

In the wake of the Champs Elysees terror attack in Paris on Thursday evening, Anne-Elisabeth Moutet believes the electorate could opt for candidates who have vowed to curb immigration in France.

According to the latest poll from PrésiTrack OpinionWay, centrist Emmanuel Macron is leading the presidential race with 23 per cent, closely followed by Marine Le Pen, Francois Fillon and far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

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Fillon's views on France's terror threat could boost his support ahead of Sunday's vote

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Speaking on Newsnight, Ms Moutet said: “Four main candidates have a chance of being in the run-off in two weeks’ time, and of those four, two have been the emphasis on the dangers of Islamic terrorism.

“These are of course Marine Le Pen, but also Francois Fillon.

“This may be the time when Francois Fillon manages to inch his way back to being in the run-off.”

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Mr Fillon is currently third in the polls, which would mean he would be eliminated after Sunday's vo

After centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron said terror “is going to be a threat to our daily lives for years to come”, Ms Moutet said she wasn’t sure “he’d entirely got the atmosphere of the country right”.

She praised Mr Macron for running his campaign on “enthusiasm and optimism”, but despite his strong results in the polls, his rhetoric on the threat of terror could put voters off.